Material characteristics and sample inspection requirements are the single most important factors when choosing a materialographic solution. Struers develops 1,000 new methods every year, most of them as a single customer service. We continously add extracts to our methods database.

Rockwell Hardness Testing

Rockwell hardness test is a fast test method with no optical readout. Rockwell hardness is calculated by measuring the depth of a diamond or tungsten carbide ball indentation. Due to the relatively high loads used, it is generally limited to larger sample geometries.

The Rockwell method utilises 5 different indenters (diamond cone, 1/16",1/8",1/4",1/2" tungsten carbide ball) and 6 different main loads (15, 30, 45, 60, 100, 150 kgf). This totals 30 different Rockwell scales, each one of them characterised by a different combination of indenter type and main load, and each one suitable for a particular material/application. (ex. HRA, HRB, HRC, HR30N etc.).

Rockwell is often used as a "quick test" on the production floor or in the laboratory, but is also used for more advanced tests, such as the Jominy (end quench) test (HRC).

The Rockwell methods are described by a number of scales characterized by a standard, an indenter type, and a load.